Warriors: Seeker of Truth
by HipsterHusky
Summary: When a kitten is abandoned by her mother and left in the territory of ThunderClan, she must figure out the truth about her mother and father as well as find out where her missing siblings are before it is too late.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

**Chapter 1: Introduction**

"_Children, I'm sorry!"_

"_No, you're not! How could you?"_

"_Yeah, we're your kits!"_

"_Your father has left me! I cannot raise you anymore! …I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"_

Lifting her head with a jolt, the limp cat glanced around. She jumped to her paws, wavering eyes flickering around from tree to ominous tree, searching for a mother who was not there.

"Mama?" she called, voice lonely and scared. "M-Mama? Where are you?"

There was no answer. Panicking, the female's paws started to move, thundering against the ground at a fast pace. She flew past trees and bushes and all kinds of rotting logs, leaping over streams and ruts in the grassy ground, hoping that her mother would appear around the corner. She never did.

As the thought of abandonment settled in her mind, the ginger cat slowed, eventually coming to a halt beside a broken evergreen tree. She leaned up against it, and found that the soft, dark wood's touch was quite comforting. Oh, how it reminded her of home!

Lying down in the shallow layer of pine needles that had fallen over the course of the half-moon, the bi-colored female would blink her deep blue optics slowly, followed by a large, gaping yawn. It was getting quite late, yes, and it was about time to settle in for the night. Hunkering down into the soft bedding, the older kitten would close her eyes.

_Snap._

Flicking her ear, the small female wouldn't even bother with the noise, as it was probably just another woodland creature, like a rabbit that was rummaging about for any fresh plant shoots.

_Snap, snap._

There it was again, only this time the sound was louder and it appeared to be getting closer. A bit frightened by this, the white-splattered feline rose to her paws cautiously, backing up so that her tail was brushing up against the bark.

"H-hello?" the she-cat called out, voice trembling. Another rustle answered her.

"Stay back!" she growled, trying to drown out her fear in a hostile tone. Maybe that would frighten the thing off. "I-I'm warning you! I'll attack!"

This time, there was silence. Maybe it worked, and she had tricked the animal into thinking that she was larger and full-grown. But her relief was short-lived as the creature leapt from the bushes a few bounds away. Her heart sunk. Racing towards her was a short, stocky canine. Its paws were seemingly too large for its body, and it was covered in almost baggy looking skin due to the amount of wrinkles and folds quivering with each leap it took.

Oh, no! thought the she-cat as she struggled to escape the dead end in which she was standing in. Whipping to her side, she leaped over the exposed roots of the pine, darting out from the overhang of sharp-smelling needles. The dog followed closely after her, and its hollow-sounding barks only added to the sense of fear that was already shooting through her.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her head was racked with such a headache that she felt as if it was about to explode, but she pressed on, weaving through the multiple species of trees that made up the forest. Finally, when the mongrel's panting breath was hot on her hindquarters, she turned sharply to the right and began to claw her way up a fair-sized tree, stopping on a branch extending outwards from the lower portion of the wood.

The canine reared up on its hind legs, howling and emitting caterwauls of frustration as it glared up at the female, who sat perched near the base of the branch, returning the evil stare through blue eyes that were narrowed to slits. Her flanks heaved as she took deep breaths, recovering from the terrifying encounter.

Somewhere farther into the woods, a twoleg called out, its cry sounding oddly worried. _Who would be worried about such a mangy mutt, anyways? _thought the two-toned she-cat as she watched the hound give one last snort before trotting off in the direction of the voice.

But the experience had left her exhausted and- literally- up a tree. Fearing that the dog would come back, the feline decided that the tree would be the safest place to be. Shuddering as she sunk her ivory claws into the bark to keep her in place, she curled up and let her eyelids droop, and she fell into a deep slumber.

[ word count: 742]


	2. Chapter 2: Complicated

**Chapter 2: Complicated**

"You're sure you heard a dog last night?"

"I...I think I did. Can you n-not smell it?"

"Yes, and I smell something else, too."

The sound of voices caused the lithe female to blink open her sleepy eyes, nostrils tingling with the scents of cat. The first thought that crossed her mind was that her mother or maybe even her siblings had come to find her, but the probability of that happening was very low. Plus, the voices were foreign to her, as she hadn't yet picked up the familiar tones of her family members, so she stayed put, staying as still as a stone.

"Hey! Hey, look up there! Someone's up there!"

_Oh, no,_ thought the she-cat, _they've spotted me!_

Her first instinct was to run, but the female noticed that two of the cats were larger and more muscular than she. Rising to her paws, the female would glance around, pondering on what to do, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw something charging up the trunk of the tree.

Obviously bewildered, the she-cat backed up a few steps, hovering on light paws as the opposing feline landed on the base of the branch, blocking her off from the rest of the trunk. Great, now what, she asked herself, baring her teeth at the alabaster creature advancing towards her. Flashing a paw out in the young clan cat, the female would watch as she emitted a hiss of annoyance.

Backing up another step, the ginger-and-white cat growled as the cat flung herself at her. Down, down, down they fell and landed in a mass of writing fur with a thud. Scrambling to get to her paws, the female was about to turn and run when another, larger cat stepped in front of her, blocking her path. She looked up at him, fear glistening in her cobalt orbs.

"What's your name, and where did you come from?" he asked, voice quiet and authoritative.

Gulping, the fiery-shaded feline stood up tall, trying to meet his stern gaze.

"I-I'm Holly," she responded. "And I don't know what happened to my m-mother or siblings…"

"Holly?" snorted the white cat, getting to her pale paws. "Well, Holly, you nearly killed me!"

The male before Holly dipped his head to her, while the other full-grown cat stalked over to the feline who had spoken out. After pulling her aside and speaking to her privately for a moment, he turned around and looked back to Holly.

"I'm sorry," he answered, flicking his tail. "But my apprentice here can't learn how to control herself before charging at loners. Hi, I'm Birchwing, and this is Swanpaw, my apprentice," he motioned to the apprentice standing beside him, who seemed to be grumbling under her breath.

Then, he turned to the male looming before the ginger female, who had backed away and regained his place beside yet another young cat. "This here is my brother, Cypressfur, and his apprentice, Frostpaw."

"Who happens to be my sister, so if you do _anything_ to her, I'll be on your tail!" Swanpaw growled, fluffing out her bleached white pelt and turning her head away from Holly with a humph.

Curling his lips upwards in annoyance, the dark tabby silhouette of Cypressfur would flicker his eyesight back to Holly, his amber eyes glistening with uncertainty. Without taking his gaze from the young cat, he slowly circled her, making a full round before calling out to Birchwing. "Hey, do you think Partridgestar would accept her?" he asked.

"He might," the paler brown male responded, turning to head back into the forest. "Bring her with us, we really need to get going."

Bring her with us? What was that supposed to mean? The white splattered she-cat's tail lashed in nervousness at the warrior's words. What were they going to do to her? Nothing bad, she hoped, maybe just give her some advice or directions. Slinking after Frostpaw, who was lagging a little behind her mentor at the end of the group, Holly would glance back in the direction of the tree. What if her family traced her scent and she wasn't there? Oh, things were going to be complicated…


End file.
